CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
When I first arrived at Charleston AFB, I would occasionally hear people make the statement, "It's the Charleston way." At first, I was confused by this statement because "the Charleston way" should be the same as the Air Force way. I quickly realized "the Charleston way" was not something different than the Air Force way of accomplishing the mission, but more of a rallying cry ... a source of pride for the men and women of Team Charleston.
"The Charleston way" is an ideology members of Team Charleston believe in and buy into. When you look at the list of accomplishments achieved by the 437th Airlift Wing, it becomes clearer why there is so much pride in "the Charleston way." Whether it's tackling new challenges like the short-notice assumption of the U.S. Central Command airlift channels, supporting America's wars or implementing new technology and programs, "the Charleston way" is ensuring the mission is accomplished with outstanding results.
Images from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are forever burned into the psyche of the American public. Since that tragic event, Team Charleston has been flying more missions and moving more cargo and passengers, supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and surpassing the levels of the Berlin Airlift.
In 2007, Team Charleston flew the most sorties in Air Mobility Command while moving an average of more than 7,000 tons of cargo per month. This year, Team Charleston continues to fly the most sorties in AMC. While all of this is impressive by itself, combining it with the fact that a good portion of Team Charleston was deployed around the world during this time makes the work accomplished at Charleston near miraculous -- another great example of "the Charleston way."
Our mission is not just performed at home station either. Team Charleston has continually supplied first-rate Airmen to operations throughout the world. Whether in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia or anywhere else, Team Charleston Airmen perform their mission in a brilliant manner and are continually recognized for their superior work and dedication. "The Charleston way" is to fly, fix and load aircraft at home with Team Charleston members also flying, fixing and unloading the same aircraft in distant land.
"The Charleston way" is also ensuring warfighters receive their cargo as quickly as possible to prosecute and implement U.S. policies and objectives. Though the OIF channels moved back to Dover AFB, Del., last January, we continue to push an extraordinary amount of cargo through Charleston AFB and this feat has not escaped the attention of numerous distinguished visitors. Every visitor who tours Charleston AFB can only say "Wow!" when witnessing "the Charleston way" in action.
AMC continues to validate the impact of "the Charleston way" by recognizing numerous organizations across the base with awards year after year. If you're not sure how many awards Team Charleston has won during the last couple of years, take a look at the wing mission brief sometime. The slides listing all the Team Charleston awards go on and on; it's an impressive list spanning the years. It proves the point "the Charleston way" is not different from the Air Force way of doing business, it's going above and beyond what is expected. "The Charleston way" is more than a saying -- it's an ideology. The outstanding effort of all the men and women of Team Charleston is what makes "the Charleston way" a cut above. When you hear someone from Team Charleston say, "It's the Charleston way," realize it's not spoken with arrogance; it's spoken with pride in all the things Team Charleston has accomplished and what we will accomplish in the future.